Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 4
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2009, part two)
Alachua County and North Florida’s Regional Rainbow Gatherings
(Sent from Ljubljana, Slovenia, on June 24, 2009)
Highlights
Harinama and Food Distribution at North Florida's Regional Rainbow Gatherings
Insights from Hridayananda Dasa Goswami and Others
Conversations with Others About Spirituality
One eventful experience during the second half of February was going to the Rainbow Gathering in Ocala National Forest to chant and distribute spiritual food. Later, in March, we went to the Rainbow Gathering in Tallahassee, a fairly new, but similar event we had never done before. Although in different months, both are history now, so I will describe them together to compare and contrast them. The second half of February was also special because I heard at least five lectures by Hridayananda Goswami, much more than usual, and I mention his interesting insights. Also younger and newer devotees tell some nice stories and share some nice realizations in this issue.
Harinama and Food Distribution at North Florida’s Regional Rainbow Gatherings
To assist our food distribution at the Ocala Rainbow Gathering, Gainesville’s Krishna Lunch program donated one bucket of rice, one bucket of dal, and one bucket of rice and dal mixed, and most importantly, seven buckets of halava, I favorite among devotees and Rainbows alike. When we found out we had to walk an hour into the woods at Ocala’s National Forest, we realized that we were understaffed to easily transport it all. A very philanthropic man drove us and our equipment over a rugged road to a slightly closer entrance. Some of us had to stand on the back bumper of the truck to fit on board. We had a couple trolleys of limited effectiveness and some of the Rainbows helped us carry the prasadam in. With great endeavor did we get the food to where the people were. We stopped part way to the main circle, at a place where a lot of people were sitting around and distributed almost all the rice and dal, singing kirtana as we did so.
Then we went to the main circle where we distributed all but about two buckets of halava, to the mostly young people who stayed in a circle at sundown to share food around a bonfire. Another bucket we distributed on the way out. At the main circle bonfire Visvambhara, Bhadra Prabhu’s son, who is an excellent kirtana man, sang for two or two and a half hours. Usually, according to Garuda Prabhu, also known as Yogi G. and Soaring Turkey, a seasoned Rainbow Gathering attender who often sets up his own Krishna tent, the Rainbows don’t let the Krishnas chant for more than twenty minutes. Visvambhara and his drum playing friends were such good entertainment for them, they were able to keep going over two hours. Some of the devotees and some of the Rainbows danced around the bonfire. I gave our Gainesville mantra cards and invitations to the most appreciative people. Although most of the people liked our chanting, a few became restless and wanted to hear something else. Since most of the people liked it, we didn’t take the others too seriously, until they became more assertive. I think that next time, we should stop a little sooner, just avoid making some people irate, even if most of the people like it. It is better to leave people desiring more, than to leave people desiring less. In addition to Visvambhara and his Vaishnava youth band, I recall that Maha-kirti Prabhu and Mother Ali Krishna were particularly enthusiastic and played important roles in the event. In particular, Ali Krishna distributed many books to people with a spiritual interest, who have time to read them while camped out there in the woods.
The Tallahassee event was different in many ways. The national forest which hosts it, is just outside the city limits, and thus it is convenient for Tallahassee residents. The main circle is just a ten or fifteen minute walk instead of a whole hour, a welcome relief. We had nine devotees and stayed for the whole afternoon and part of the evening. One difference about this event was that the Rainbows invited us to participate in one of their circles just about to commence when we arrived. Mother Mrgaksi thought it would be good for us from the social point of view to accept their invitation, and as she is senior person and made a good point, I went along with it. The topic of that meeting was how to respond to violence committed by Rainbow’s own front gate staff on the others as they came and left the gathering. One man was clearly responsible and was ultimately the object of some disciplinary action by the others. Each person in the circle could say something which others were allowed to respond to, when they were holding a certain feather, which indicated the right to speak. Many of the points were repetitive, but since each person had a right to speak, that was almost inevitable. When it was my turn, I decided to mention part of our mission there, distribution of spiritual food, and I explained that one effect of eating spiritual food is that it makes one less violent, citing a few practical examples. Bhaktin Jackie spoke nicely, mentioning the beneficial effects of the universal principal of chanting the holy name of the Lord. Some of the devotees left the circle early and did some harinama around the site, a sentiment I could also appreciate. Later one of the Tallahassee Rainbow leaders told a devotee that his appreciation of the Hare Krishnas increased to a new level as a result of their participating in the circle. That was certainly a victory for us.
At the Tallahassee Rainbow event, our chanting party had, in addition to traditional kirtana instruments, two guitars, a ukulele, a djembe drum, and a trumpet, and we played for a few hours along the path leading to the main circle, and a few people joined us to listen or play their own djembe. We distributed prasadam there to those who passed by. I passed out invitations to our campus lunch, yoga, and temple programs to those whose dress indicated they were locals, and would be in the position to attend them. We also distributed books to interested people. I cooked twelve gallons of kitri and five gallons of halava, which I found to take more time and be more physically demanding than I ever imagined, and I gained admiration for those who routinely cook large quantities for prasadam distribution. Daru Brahma Prabhu also donated prasadam from his campus lunch program. We had too much prasadam as this was just the third year of this regional gathering and attendance was not as great as at the other. While I was distributing halava at the main circle, one middle-aged man with his two pre-teen daughters said he had made a lot of halava in his day. I inquired what he meant, and he explained he had been a cook in our Chicago temple in the 1980s named Atmaratha Dasa. I told him about our local temple programs in case he wanted to again pursue the spiritual practice of his youth. As we already chanted for several hours and because we had got some negative feedback from chanting too much at Ocala’s main circle, I was doubtful abut chanting at the main circle at the Tallahassee event, but when some of the people saw us preparing to leave, they asked us to stay and sing. We chanted for twenty minutes or so. It felt better to be asked to sing, rather than to be asked to stop.
Both the Ocala and Tallahassee programs were tiring, as after packing up and walking out to our vehicles, we still had at least a two-hour drive home to Gainesville. We returned between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. each time, but it was worth it to distribute prasadam, chant Hare Krishna, make new friends, and visit old ones, and many people, including those of us who participated took another step toward Krishna. And so both were very happy experiences, and I am very thankful to all the devotees who participated. In particular, I appreciate Mahakirti Prabhu, a veteran organizer of festival events like the Czech Woodstock, who assisted greatly by contributing his enthusiasm, transportation, and funding to both the programs.
Insight from Lectures
Hridayananda Goswami (February 15, 2009):
Srila Prabhupada said it is our duty to mold our lives to always think of Krishna. If we realize our life does not facilitate Krishna remembrance, we have to reboot it. Sraddha means not merely to believe God exists but to place one’s faith in God. The temple is meant for making you see Krishna in everything when you walk out the door. Imagine a friend comes to you and is dressed in a different way, and you don’t recognize him. That is what we are doing when we see Krishna in the Deity but not in everyone’s heart.
The “akama sarva-kama” verse means that everyone has the same duty (one-pointed devotional service), and everyone has the same chance.
Krishna is not, thank God, a religious fanatic.
When an ISKCON leader was too severe, Srila Prabhupada said, “They are my disciples, do not break them.”
Hear entire lecture at:
http://acharyadeva-nectar.pbworks.com/Same+Chances+for+Everyone+(Alachua+2-15-09)
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami (February 19, 2009):
The name “Dhrtarastra” comes from two words “dhrta” meaning “to hold” and “rastra” which means “kingdom”, and so Dhrtarastra is he who held on to the kingdom.
Formerly when people went to the forest for retirement there were places (ashrams) and people who could instruct them on how to live in the forest and counsel them about their issues regarding leaving their families.
When Pandu died, Dhrtarastra saw it was his chance to get the kingdom, and thus he looked the other way when his son Duryodhana tried to murder the Pandavas. Later Duryodhana practically took control. After that, sometimes Dhrtarastra remembered Pandu and felt bad about supporting his son’s atrocities against Pandu’s sons, the Pandavas. But still he went on with the war.
Yudhisthira recalled Dhrtarastra’s taking care of him and his brothers when they were young and felt Dhrtarastra had paid for his crime of supporting his son’s murder attempts against him and his brothers by losing his hundred sons in the war.
In a society dedicated to sense gratification, old people are a nuisance. But in a society dedicated to wisdom, old people are a great asset and should be taken care of and respected.
Hear entire lecture at:
http://acharyadeva-nectar.pbworks.com/Dhritarastra%3A-One-Who-Held-onto-the-Kingdom
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami’s japa talk (February 21, 2009):
We want sat, cit, and ananda. In other words, we want to continue to exist, we want to understand, and we want to be happy.
In our relationship with Krishna, our self-centeredness is a problem for us.
In this world, we idolize people to fan our own fantasies.
We have to make a conscious decision to approach Krishna and do what is required.
I like to take long japa walks and practice seeing Krishna everywhere. We actually live in Krishna and should be looking for Him everywhere, like the Six Goswami’s taught. Every living body is a mandira (temple). We go to the mandira, so we can learn to see that when we go outside there are mandiras everywhere.
Japa is an opportunity to hang out with Krishna. Krishna is a really nice guy, in addition to being God.
We do not give our whole heart to Krishna because part of our heart is not quite sure about it yet.
Krishna is His name, so we have immediate access to omnipotence.
The perfection of Srila Prabhupada is not in terms of knowledge of the material world but in terms of knowledge of the spiritual world and how to attain it. In time, Srila Prabhupada was increasing his knowledge of the material world, such as the modern Western technology with which he was originally unfamiliar. Prabhupada expressed many times his perfection was he represented the scripture as it is. Srila Prabhupada created a gurukula system, yet he had never set up a school before. Basically he wanted to facilitate the spiritual life of the children and facilitate the parents of the children to have time to work for the benefit of others. Although there were problems, still his motives were pure, and we should honor his pure desires. He tried different strategies and learned as he went along.
Hear entire lecture at:
http://acharyadeva-nectar.pbworks.com/Hanging-Out-with-Krishna-During-Japa
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami (February 26, 2009):
To torture your own children forever for mental crimes (doctrinal mistakes) as some religions characterize God as doing is most evil.
If all you knew were the religions of Asia, would you consider religion the cause of war?
In Bhagavad-gita 12.3, Krishna acknowledges those who work for the welfare of others.
We are not stuck with a jealous God who has self-esteem issues.
To those who are vegetarian and for animal rights, we ask, “Why not add gratitude to the person who has given you everything to your good qualities?”
Some people who give charity out of pride do not like God.
The central component of goodness is devotion to God. For those who want to understand God, to be open-minded about it, is a very important qualification. Because there is only one God, we should be willing to consider information from other sources, especially a culture with so much knowledge and devotion to God for thousands of years, like the Vedic culture. There is nothing like Vaishavism in terms of sophisticated philosophy. It is really unique, and a serious person should consider it.
You cannot give something you do not have. Srila Prabhupada empowered his disciples to give Krishna consciousness to others. He encouraged them: “Do something practical.” “Krishna consciousness is common sense.” When Srila Prabhupada would go somewhere [mentally], he would take you there.
Q: What is the biggest misconception we have of Srila Prabhupada?
A: The guru does not want to take anything from us. He just wants to give us love of God. He had no attachment to anything of this world. He saw the devotees were bright-faced because they were happy sharing Krishna consciousness with others.
Q: How can we attract people?
A: We are not trying to attract people. We are trying to attract Krishna.
Hear entire lecture at:
http://www.acaryadeva-nectar.com/Gainesville%5B2-26-09%5D_SB_1-14-22.mp3
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami (February 27, 2009):
Because we have taken up Krishna consciousness based on our previous practice, we enter at different levels.
Some people think that a perfect person has stripped away all personal tendencies, but fortunately that is not our philosophy. It would be very weird to hang around with denatured people.
On a morning walk in Los Angeles, a devotee told Srila Prabhupada that in Israel, the government is criticizing the rabbis for praying all day. Srila Prabhupada replied, “Why do they pray all day? They should do something practical.”
Srila Prabhupada considered that ignorance is to some extent an excuse.
The sincerity of the devotee is the extent to which he struggles with his conditioned nature and tries to surrender to Krishna.
If we represent Srila Prabhupada’s heaviness and not his compassion, then we are not really representing Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada was not really against science but against scientism and pseudoscience.
People who oppose me are either:
(1) Reasonable and I learn from them and refine my position. (2) Emphasing the opposite side but serving a valuable role in that they keep people from taking my side to an extreme. (3) Crazy.
Plato says that when you come out of the cave into the brightness of the sun, because you are used to the dim light of the cave, you stumble about and are less functional for a while.
Srila Prabhupada personally told me that there was no time that he did not remember Krishna, and I have no doubt that he was telling the truth, and that he came from the spiritual world.
The only real enjoyment for the soul is love of God. Persons who attain this give up the pursuit of physical knowledge.
Krishna appeared as a cowherd boy to show us the importance of the cow to human society.
Mother Akuti:
We should not wait to the end of life to take spiritual life seriously, as Dhrtarastra did.
Srila Prabhupada was addicted to Krishna and was hoping we would become addicted to Krishna.
Bhakti can be attained with the help of someone like Vidura who sticks with you till the end.
Gandhari, because of her austerity, was powerful enough to reprimand all the great Kaurava leaders like Bhismadeva and Dronacarya, although no one else could do so, when these leaders callously permitted the insulting of Draupadi.
A book distributor once asked Srila Prabhupada how he could be unaffected by dealing with all the materialistic habits of the people he approached on book distribution. Srila Prabhupada advised him to chant all sixteen rounds in the morning in one sitting.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
If we see bad things done to us as our karma, then we can forgive the offender.
Srila Prabhupada said, “We must learn how to forgive and forget, otherwise how can we live.”
Srila Prabhupada once said a class should contain four important ideas: (1) we are not these bodies, but spiritual souls, (2) the mission of Lord Caitanya is to spread love of Godhead worldwide, (3) chanting the holy name is best way to approach God, and (4) the personal feature of God is superior to His impersonal feature and is the desired goal.
Phanibhusana Prabhu on The Nectar of Devotion:
Offer Krishna forest flowers not florists’ flowers!
The term “His Divine Grace” referring to the spiritual master can be explained with the “His” referring to Krishna because the guru is the ‘divine grace’ of Krishna.
On surrender:
I will go where you want me to go.
I will do whatever you want me to do.
I will say whatever you want me to say.
I will stay wherever you want to stay.
Mother Indrani:
Yudhisthira Maharaja teaches us to inquire when we in distress and thus be relieved, just as he inquired from Sanjaya and Narada Muni.
“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
When Arjuna is depressed because he doesn’t want to fight and turns to Krishna, Krishna smiles. Similarly Krishna is smiling when we turn to Him.
Q: You can get angry at God for sending you bad things. How to avoid this?
A: On a bad day, we see it as Krishna’s plan. We ask Krishna, “What are we to learn from this?” He will show you.
Q: How do you make plans if you know that Krishna may not accept your plans?
A: Just to live we have to make plans, but we can seek guidance and observe our motives. Is it to help others? Is it to please Krishna?
I wanted to go to Bhakti Tirtha Swami’s samadhi opening in Mayapur, and I made so many plans, but due to some physical aliment I couldn’t go. Then I had to surrender to the fact that Krishna did not want me to go. I had to pray to be able to accept it.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami said, “The mind puts up a wall for the soul to express itself. The mind, by its very nature, can only accept and reject the subject matter of the material world.”
Mother Ali Krishna:
Krishna consciousness is all auspicious because it: (1) attracts everyone, (2) benefits everyone, (3) liberates everyone, and (4) brings happiness to everyone.
Just like when you are a kid and you really want a tricycle for your seventh birthday, you cry to express the intensity of your desire, in the same way, we should cry to be engaged in some kind of devotional service to Krishna.
Our situation in his world is like someone who comes out of a coma and has amnesia and cannot recognize his dearmost relatives. In the same way, we cannot recognize our beloved Lord until we come out of amnesia by the process of devotional service.
Mother Namamrita:
When I was younger, when my mom went to dress the Deities, sometimes I felt remorseful, thinking I was being neglected, but now I can understand and appreciate the value of her service and her greatness.
Conversations with Others About Spirituality
Murti Dasa, an enthusiastic, young book distributor, decided to experiment by doing book distribution in varieties of attire. He tried wearing, on three different days, (1) a suit and tie, (2) ripped jeans, and (3) Hare Krishna brahmacari robes. His conclusion was that dress had an insignificant effect on the number of books he distributed. He suggested that one dress in whatever one feels comfortable in, but then added that acting for our own comfort may be yet another attachment to overcome on the path to pure love for Krishna.
Andres, one of the IVS students, told us that when he was becoming interested in Krishna consciousness, he was at a party of his friends, both those also inclined to devotional service and those not. The nondevotee friends all got intoxicated while his devotionally inclined friends remained sober. One by one the intoxicated friends passed out. Then the devotee friends had kirtana for half an hour, enjoying the spiritual intoxication of the chanting. His other friends were trying to enjoy life by getting intoxicated but in reality, they just passed out. However, his devotee friends, who did not take intoxication, were happily intoxicated chanting Hare Krishna.
Gemini told how he became vegetarian when he was tripping on acid and saw a TV show with a man jogging, along with his dog and his turkey, who were also jogging. He then understood the turkey was also a living thing, and became a vegetarian that very day, throwing out all the meat in his residence. His commitment was tested later when he was hitchhiking and a Muslim man offered him a ride. The Muslim man was going to a wedding, and made Gemini the guest of honor. As the honored guest, he was given the first plate of lamb at the wedding banquet. Gemini was worried. He did not want to offend the hosts nor break his vow of vegetarianism. Thus he told the wedding assembly that he had heard of Allah’s kindness to all, and it moved him to become vegetarian. They all applauded. Two weeks later, the bridegroom wrote Gemini that he had become inspired by Allah to become vegetarian too.
-----
patrapatra-vicara, nahi sthanasthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana
“In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-cartamrita, Adi-lila 7.23)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 11
By Krishna-kripa das
(June 2009, part one)
Antwerp, Amsterdam, Wroclaw, and Leipzig
(Sent from Leipzig, Germany, on 6/18/09)
Highlights
A Prabhupada Story
Harinamas in Antwerp and Amsterdam
First Annual Wroclaw Ratha-yatra
Sunday Feast in Leipzig’s Mariannen Park
Spiritual Encounters
Insight from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, Kadamba Kanana Swami,
Dhananjaya Prabhu, and Others
Personal Reflections
Where I Am and What I Am Doing
I left France, with many nice harinama adventures behind me, and the blessings of the devotees to return. I went by bus to Antwerp, where I did the Sunday feast lecture, other lectures, and many harinamas, and then onward to Amsterdam, for another Sunday feast lecture and more harinamas. Next I went to Leipzig, and took a day trip six hours each way by train to Wroclaw, Poland’s first Ratha-yatra, and returned to Leipzig for great kirtana, prasadam, and the association of Kadamba Kanana Swami.
In Amsterdam, Dhananjaya Prabhu told us that one time Srila Prabhupada, although he wasn’t feeling well, agreed to see George Harrison, who had a recording which he wanted Srila Prabhupada to hear. The song was entitled “Krishna, Where are You?” George had written the lyrics and arranged the music, and Ravi Shankar’s sister, Laksmi, was the singer. Prabhupada said it was in the mood of the Goswamis, and that if George Harrison continued writing songs like that he would quickly advance in spiritual life.
[Curious about the song, I did a search on the internet, finding a couple videos with pictures of Krishna accompanying the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJCmAWdD18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYltwdtEYU ]
My friend Janmastami Prabhu, a disciple of Lokanath Swami, makes Antwerp a happy place for me. He’s been playing accordion for years, even before he met the Hare Krishna devotees, and he loves harinama. Last year we chanted in Amsterdam, but now he is back in Belgium, his home. Also here is Amita Krishna Prabhu, who I met in Chowpatty and again in Tirupati, who is a native of Antwerp, and loves Krishna kirtana andkatha. We went chanting in Antwerp, which like many European cities, is blessed with an abundance of cafes with seating on the sidewalk. We passed out many invitations to their upcoming Ratha-yatra.
One day we came across two young Oriental men who are Christian by faith. One had an interesting T-shirt that said on it, “Say Your Prayers.” My camera was temporarily not working, and they emailed me a picture they took for our party.
Amsterdam is full of tourists and a great place for harinama. The devotees do harinama on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. for two hours each day, and about ten or twelve show up. I tried to have additional harinamas Monday through Wednesday, but no one came except for a bhakta from Slovakia, also a guest, but he did book distribution most of the time. I made some halava with chick pea flour and rolled it into balls for distribution, and tried to go out each day for three hours, with invitations, sweets, and books.
First Annual Wroclaw Ratha-yatra
Although Indradyumna Swami’s festival tour has put on many Ratha-yatras in Poland, none of the three Polish temples had done a Ratha-yatra in their home towns until June 13, when the congregation of the Wroclaw temple put on their first Ratha-yatra. I heard about the festival last September and had been cultivating a desire to attend. As I was traveling the six hours by train from Leipzig to Wroclaw, I was thinking the journey to be an insignificant austerity to have the pleasure of once again dancing for Lord Jagannatha, Lord of the universe.
One boy on the train was favorably impressed by seeing the devotees at Woodstock in Zary, his home town, and recalled eating the rice and halava. I invited him to take a Polish book I brought for the occasion, but he declined saying he did not believe in God. I told him the story of what Ravinda Svarupa Prabhu once said to someone who did not believe in God, “Tell me about the God you do not believe in.” When the man described God as an angry person who takes pleasure in making people burn in hell forever for a finite number of a offenses, Ravinda Svarupa Prabhu replied, “I don’t believe in that God either!”
As I was trying find the location of the Ratha site, I met another young man who had seen the devotees at Woodstock. Since then, he became vegetarian and has been vegetarian for five years. Jananivasa KCS, one of my translators from the tour, told me that in the art school his friend attends in Wroclaw, half of the students are vegetarian, a high percentage, especially for Poland.
Both the parade and festival were held in Rynek Square, a large rectangular area, surrounded by many cafes with outdoor seating. Because it was the first time the city gave permission, they were restrictive, and the Ratha-yatra could go round within the square several times for a couple of hours but not go into streets, however, since the square seemed to be the most happening place in town, that was not so much of a problem. Many of my friends from the Polish summer Festival of India tour were there, playing their characteristic roles as MCs, kirtana leaders, Jagannath pujaris, translators, chefs, and organizers. The whole festival seemed like a beautiful way to begin a summer of festivals in Poland, and both the devotees and the observers were very happy.
I saw one lady in a café holding her fork motionless in midair as she watched Lord Jagannatha and His associates pass by with their cart.
A friend saw two Polish men staring at the cart and the devotees from a café, leaving their ever present beer mugs idle, at least for some time. Officials did not let the devotees distribute invitations or books, but I did not learn that till the end so distributed about a dozen Polish Hare Krishna mantra cards to people whose smiles, glances, and photography, made their interest obvious, and all but two of the people accepted them. A few observers danced along to the kirtana at the stage show afterward, but not as many as sometimes.
The Deities were made just for this festival, being painted for the first time just three days before, and Krishna Ksetra Prabhu did their installation ceremony on their Ratha cart. I praised him later for demonstrating Deity worship as well as writing books about it. Consistent behavior of the leaders strengthens the faith of the people in general. For me it is interesting to see the variety of jolly smiles on the different Jagannatha Deities, expressing the varying realizations of those blessed to be allowed be vehicles for their appearance. I thank Madhai Jivana Dasa for the picture.
Siva, a resident of Bangalore, visiting Wroclaw for a few days for a Hewlett Packard convention, was very happy to come across Lord Krishna’s devotees and their Ratha-yatra procession. He is a worshiper of Balaji, the famed Krishna Deity, of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, and he stayed with us six hours for the whole Ratha-yatra and stage show. He said he had once heard in an ISKCON temple it is very important to chant the “Hare Krishna” part of the mantra first, and not “Hare Rama”, and he couldn’t understand why the devotee was so forceful about it as Krishna and Rama are the same. I answered the best I could and suggested the Krishna Ksetra Prabhu, who has studied Vaishnavism from the academic point of view as well as the devotional point of view may give a better answer. Krishna Ksetra Prabhu stressed the important principle is the Krishna and Rama are the same, so it does not really matter the order it is chanted in the mantra, and he told the story of how Lord Caitanya advised His devotee, Murari Gupta, the unalloyed Rama bhakta, to change his allegiance to Krishna. Not wanting to displease Lord Caitanya nor forsake Lord Rama, He stayed awake the whole night in a state of despair. When he revealed his mind to Lord Caitanya, Lord Caitanya accepted his devotion to Rama, saying it was just befitting him, as he was the incarnation of Hanuman. Siva was happy with Krishna Ksetra Prabhu’s answer, saying he could tell he was an elevated person by how he answered the questioned. We parted ways inviting him to the Wroclaw’s Sunday feast, and promising to keep in touch by email.
To see two albums of photos of the Wroclaw Ratha-yatra 2009, click on Album 1 and Album 2.
Sunday Feast in Leipzig’s Mariannen Park
I have heard that in the early history of ISKCON, sometimes the devotees would hold the Sunday feast in the park. In Leipzig, the devotees do that even now, on sunny days in the summer.
They bring an altar and Deities of Srila Prabhupada, Gaura Nitai, and Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, and well as Giri-Govardhan. They do the bhajana, kirtana, and lecture in the park, and if the weather remains good, the feast as well. One benefit of this is that passersby get a chance to see what a Hare Krishna Sunday feast program is like, and become attracted. The day I was there, at least five new people came for the feast.
In the picture above, you can see one onlooker watching from behind the pujari.
Another benefit of being in the park is there is more room to dance!
I thank Bhakta Karl for the video and thank Bhaktin Sasha for the pictures. For more of Sasha's pictures of the Sunday feast in the park, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/--iskcon--leipzig--/sets/72157619774882342/
David of Antwerp is doing a video on the spiritual search, and the local Hare Krishnas are featured in it. He explained that early in his life he was not interested in religion, but now it had become an important concern of his. In his search he has discovered one characteristic that religious people have which he appreciates. No matter what religion they are with they, be it Christianity, Buddhism, or Hare Krishna, they tend to keep their appointments, an admirable trait. Those who callously ignore promises to others frustrate him.
A young man from Niagara Falls, Canada, noticed the Bhagavad-gita on display as I chanted in a square in Amsterdam. He told me he met the devotees in Antwerp and bought a small book because he didn’t have enough money for a big one. Now he came across Bhagavad-gita when he had enough money to buy it and so he did.
A jolly middle-aged lady, who was accompanied by her sister of a similar age, did a few dance steps along with my singing. I gave them sweets and invitations which they accepted. They said they were Christians. After one of them commented on my happiness, we had a brief conversation in which I made the point that our real pleasure is to glorify God, which they also agreed with. They ended up praying for me and continuing in a happy mood.
One young lady from Ukraine just enjoyed listening to our singing, and after ten minutes or so, we stopped and talked to her. She had enjoyed seeing the devotees in several places in Ukraine, such as Kiev and Dnepropotrovsk. I told her how I liked chanting in Ukraine, in both Kiev and Kharkov, because the people were so receptive, and how we have big festival every year near Simferopol, attended by four thousand people, and with three hours singing in the evening. Tomas introduced the Isopansad to her and she decided to buy it.
One lady from Tennessee asked if she could take a picture of me. She was developing an interested in Hinduism and already had a copy of Bhagavad-gita. I mentioned how I appreciated from that tradition the idea that all creatures, even plants and animals of living souls, and deserving of respect.
On a flight from Cologne to Leipzig, the lady who had the seat in the same row as mine knew very little English. As she said she was from Cologne, I decided to show her the invitation to their temple’s Sunday feast, which tells a little about the philosophy on it. She asked if our group originated from India, and I said “Yes.” She took a book from her bag, and in the white space on the back of the back cover, she wrote down the details about our program and returned the invitation card to me. When leaving, I gave her my business card and asked her to write me if she attends the temple and to let me know what she thinks. Perhaps she will go and have a wonderful experience. The Deities are beautiful and the devotees are friendly, why not?
Insight from Lectures and Reading
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, Yellow Submarine, #91: “There are so many valuable devotees who render their service to guru and Krishna without being heralded and given great attention. But Krishna loves them, and He has room for them in His heart. You don’t have to be a superstar to be appreciated by Radha and Krishna. Just render steady service, and you’ll be deeply appreciated.”
When we chant we feel something uplifting but not the full manifestation of what is there, Krishna Himself. So much mercy is there, but we do not all realize all of it. Vaishnavas meditate on all all-attractive, wonderful features of Krishna. When we serve Krishna, He reveals His attractiveness. Because Krishna manifests in the Deity, we can easily serve Him.
Many people are religious but not happy because they worship God out of fear. We do not spend our daily meditating on giving up bad qualities but rather meditate on positive activities in relationship with Krishna and find the bad qualities gradually disappear. Actually the greatest Vaishnavas, although thinking themselves fallen, glorify the greatness of the Lord’s mercy for He can easily deliver them. Bhaktivinoda Thakura talks about receiving an auspicious desire tree from our guru but not properly caring for it. By properly caring for it, we can make to bloom. Some punish themselves in the name of bhakti saying they have made the greatest blunder, and can never progress, but this is not a proper meditation. As we absorb ourselves more in Krishna’s service and pastimes, the more we experience the spiritual world.
Kadamba Kanana Swami asked his disciple to pose a question on the lecture and answer it himself, an interesting teaching strategy.
Dhananjaya Prabhu, Amsterdam temple president:
In Alalanatha, at a temple of Vishnu said to be millions of years old, there is an impression of Lord Caitanya in the floor, where the stone melted in ecstasy, when Lord Caitanya had offered prostrated obeisances before the Deity.
Narottama Dasa Thakura states that simply by accepting that the associates of Lord Caitanya are perfect, one can attain the service of Krishna in Vrindavana.
Shyamananda Pandita spoke Krishna-katha so nicely that atheists, agnostics, and blasphemers became moved by hearing his words, and became his followers.
Time is running out for all of us. Therefore, we should approach Krishna.
If we existed before this creation, and we will exist after the annihilation, that means that we have nothing to do with this cosmic manifestation.
In “Suddha-bhakati,” Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentions observing Vaishnava holidays with care and attention. Similarly in “Guru Vadanam,” Narottama Dasa Thakura mentions one must bow down to the guru with great care and attention.
Direct smaranam is when we remember the form of the Lord, and indirect smaranam is when we remember Krishna as the taste of water.
In the beginning faith is the driving force in our spiritual life. When we reach the stage of ruci [taste], rati [attachment] is the driving force, and at prema [love] love itself is the driving force.
If we chant Hare Krishna, while trying to give up offenses, we will experience devotional service to be a happy experience.
Lord Caitanya is our only friend because He has the medicine to cure our disease.
The best service to help others is to give the holy name.
Lord Caitanya told Srivasa Thakura that by not disturbing my kirtana when your son died, you purchased Me, but still, next time you should tell Me.
Initially some people may reject the sankirtana, but if we persist, we will break through the resistance.
If your religion is for real, you can spread it by changing the people’s hearts. Other methods, such as politics, are bogus.
If people come to understand that the Hare Krishna movement has relevant contributions to knowledge of religion, politics, medicine, and family relationships, they will appreciate us.
When I prepare to give a lecture, I always listen to lectures by Srila Prabhupada’s disciples because they often illuminate aspects of the purport, which I completely miss.
Knowledge is to know the living entity, the material nature, and the Lord who controls the other two.
Chanting Hare Krishna offensively is like taking a shower with dirty water.
Q: How can we explain that Krishna’s quality of nirguna does not mean He has no qualities?
A: We have qualities and we emanate from Krishna, so Krishna must also have qualities.
I served out the Sunday feast in Amsterdam. After serving, I ate alone as the others were finished and on their way. It reminds me of long ago, before doing the book tables at the Alachua feast, when I would have the same experience—sitting, and eating alone. Now, as I did then, I pray to Krishna, who always remains when our other friends go, and who we can thus realize is our supreme friend—always ready to pay attention to us, as we pay attention to Him.
The temple president in Antwerp invited me to give a series of lectures on the holy name, and I did four, but after that I decided I would rather hear the realizations of my friends, Amita Krishna and Janmastami Prabhus. You have to be really advanced to be able to give so many lectures to the same people without hearing them speak as well. For me it seems artificial.
When I chant japa while traveling, I tend to worry about my different travel connections. Noticing that I began preaching to myself , “Listen to the Krishna’s names, and He will made your travel connections work out.” I think that helped both my chanting and my traveling to go smoother.
As I took the train from Leipzig to Wroclaw, I noticed in the all small East German towns I passed, the tallest building was always the church, reminding us of a day when religion was given more importance.
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"If even a candāla [dog-eater], simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, he becomes counted as one of the associates of Vishnu." (The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 3
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2009, part one)
Gainesville, Tallahassee
(Sent from Leipzig, Germany, on 6/12/09)
Highlights
Insight from Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, Indradyumna Swami, Jayadvaita Swami, Aindra Prabhu, and Other Devotees
Tamohara Prabhu: On Devotional Relationships
Where I Was and What I Was Doing
The first half of February meant chanting at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, and going to Tallahassee for harinamas and the festival for Lord Nityananda. It was a special month because Indradyumna Swami and Sri Prahlada visited Alachua, and Sri Prahlada chanted with us on the UF campus, to the delight of both the devotees and the students. Param Gati Swami also visited us for a couple weeks in Gainesville. In Tallahassee, Sivam and I chanted at a new event for us, First Friday, and found it a great opportunity to give many nice people a chance to hear Krishna’s holy name.
An abandoned industrial park in Tallahassee’s Railroad Square was transformed into a colony of art galleries, and on the first Friday of the month, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., they have an open house, and people leisurely stroll from one gallery to another. Daru Brahma Prabhu, who runs the Krishna Lunch at Florida State University and who serves daily a hundred students, finds First Friday to be a chance to distribute prasadam (spiritual food) to a wider audience. He is assisted by Ramayana Prabhu and Rafael, who serve out, as well as set up tables and chairs on the grass for the guests to eat at. Also taking advantage of the many people strolling around Railroad Square is Garuda Prabhu, whose Peace on Earth Yoga Center occupies a building in that area. Garuda teaches hatha yoga for free Monday thru Thursday, and had spiritual programs on Saturday and Sundays, during the day, a more ecumenical one on Saturday, and a more Krishna centered one on Sunday.
Sivam and I chanted at First Friday in February, March, and April. We had different nice experiences. I met Jena at Garuda’s center, and she ended up attending many future harinama. There we also met her friend, Ashley, who came on one harinama at the Lake Ella park. Sometimes Alex, an FSU student who received a Gita from Ananda Vidya Prabhu, and who is taking a serious interest in Krishna consciousness would come and play his guitar. Jena would also come. Once a lady and her husband listened to one Hare Krishna melody till the end and asked us to play another, staying to hear. Other person gave us a $12 donation. Sometimes children would dance in front of us as their parents waited in line for prasadam. All and all, it was a pleasant atmosphere to share Krishna sound with a mostly appreciative crowd devoid of negativity. I look forward to returning to Tallahassee for First Fridays whenever I am in northern Florida, and sharing the Hare Krishna mantra with others.
When Sri Prahlada chanted during the lunch serve out on the campus, many more devotees came than usual. Jaya Sita came and played her cello. The combination of Sri Prahlada, Jaya Sita, and the large number of devotees attracted more attention than usual, and several people stopped to see and hear, and became inquistive.
All the devotees were very enlivened. I hope Sri Prahlada can come out at least two times during his next visit.
Insight from Lectures
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami (2/5/09):
King Pariksit is glorified by how he treated those above him and those subordinate to him, and by his character.
We do endeavor, but we depend on Krishna, as Krishna recommends in Bhagavada-gita 8.7, “Remember Me and fight.”
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Personal Trainer and our life is filled with different exercise machines, and Krishna engages us with different ones. We chant Hare Krishna, and Krishna accepts us into a personal program. If we are running into difficulties and do not pass a test, Krishna administers the test again.
From our perspective, Pariksit was bitten by a snake bird and passed away, but for him it was a promotion.
To maintain material attachments means to ignore the fact that they are our enemies (Bg. 3.39).
We have to seriously take care of our spiritual life, and we also have to take care of everyone’s spiritual life. If you see everyone as spiritual soul, you will understand they are our family members, and we should encourage them.
We should think of our mission as dialog and not monolog.
Q: What is the best thing I can do for my grandfather who is dying?
A: I would just pray for his spiritual progress. It was Krishna’s arrangement that he had a Vaishnava daughter who would pray for him.
[To hear the entire lecture visit this link: http://acharyadeva-nectar.pbworks.com/The-Purpose-of-Trouble]
Srila Prabhupada once told the German devotees, “If there is no disturbance, there is no preaching.”
A brahmana who performed rituals for material benefit, blasphemed Narottama Dasa Thakura for preaching as appeared in kayastha family. Goddess Durga appeared in a dream and told the brahmana he would get leprosy, which he did. Narottama Dasa Thakura mercifully placed his feet on the man’s head and told him to dance in an ecstatic kirtana that lasted all night. During the kirtana, the symptoms of leprosy left the man, and he fell at the lotus feet of Narottama Dasa Thakura, begging for initiation. Narottama Dasa Thakura embraced him and gave him initiation.
You cannot be compassionate if you have material desires because you will become envious of the material success of the people you are supposed to be delivering.
All too often we are busy as a bee with the affairs of this world, yet self-realization is our real business. Thus there must be a class of renounced persons to remind people that before they die they must learn they are souls, Krishna is God, and we have an intimate relationship with Him.
Sadhus spend full time on self-realization and share their realization with others, and society would maintain them, feeling gratitude. Sadhus are so satisfied they need just the bare necessities.
One sadhu begged from Lord Nityananda’s parents to have Nityananda to be his brahmacari assistant. Seeing Nitai’s mother crying from the loss of her son, the sadhu gave her a Deity of Muralidhara, saying, “If you worship Him nicely, you will see your son’s face in the Deity.”
Param-gati Swami:
The Vaishnava has no enemies in that he has no one that he thinks badly of in his heart, but some people many think of a Vaishnava as an enemy.
Q: What do we do if our mind creates impediments?
A: Staying in the association of devotees can help us.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, (from his journal, Vrindavana 7):
In Dhanurdhara Swami's book he interviews Aindra dāsa, who said as follows: “My experiences is that chanting is not a matter of simple endeavoring to articulate some syllables. Actually, such chanting is not really chanting. Chanting looks like chanting, but actually chanting is Krishna dancing by His own sweet will. He is making His Divine descent from Goloka dhama and dancing on our tongues. The holy name is a beautiful sweetest-of-all-sweetest cowherd boy. He is a cowherd boy, a beautiful blue cowherd boy, handsome and completely captivating to the heart. By the mercy of Hare, Radha, our hearts have become undeniably intensely enchanted by the sweetness of that little cowherd boy Krishna, and because we have become enchanted by Him—and He is aware of that, naturally—He will not leave us alone. Again and again and again He pastures on our tongues, by forcing His way into our consciousness, dancing on our tongues.”
Jayādvaita Mahārāja is a down-to-earth guy. When I told him Bhūrijana and I were discussing whether it was better to go next life to be with Prabhupāda where he was preaching in the material world or to join with Krishna in His pastimes in the spiritual world, Maharaja replied: ‘I’d take whatever I could get.’”
When the Deity is worshiped in the householders’ home, the household gradually comes to understand the Lord is the actual proprietor.
If the senses are uncontrolled, there is no intelligence.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
We have to be aware that in our attempts to preach we may be trying to validate our choice to accept Krishna consciousness by convincing others to also accept it.
Q: How can we be humble when we understand we are one of a few fortunate people in devotional service?
A: The advanced devotees feel so low for having left Krishna.
If you ask people questions about their philosophy of life, after a while, they will run out of things to say. Then you can present Krishna consciousness.
Sri Prahlada Prabhu:
A real friend tells the truth for one’s benefit. Vibhisana said, “It is rare to find a friend who will tell us the truth for our benefit. But rarer is to find someone who will listen to it.”
We experience pain simply because of our false identification with our body and this world.
When Krishna told Dhrtarastra before the war that the fight could be avoided if he gave the Pandavas their rightful kingdom, Dhrtarastra told Krishna what He said was true, but he was so attached that Krishna’s illuminating remark was like a flash of lightening in the sky.
At the end of life we want to be in a space where we can give up sense gratification as a matter of realization not artificially.
Mother Ali Krishna:
Missing observing the Lord’s festivals is like forgetting your mom’s birthday.
Circumambulating the Lord is a way of putting the Lord in the center of our lives.
By bowing down in the temple we touch the dust of the feet of the Vaishnavas.
Kelly:
Sometimes people say with outrage, “How can you say someone is put in a suffering condition because of their past acts?” I reply to them by asking, “Is it more reasonable to think the Lord whimsically puts one person in a good situation and another in a bad one?”
Trey:
Bhakti cannot be checked by material circumstances nor is it caused by material things. By taking shelter of people who have bhakti, we develop bhakti.
Tamohara Prabhu on devotional relationships, especially marriage:
There is a way of wanting the best for someone but still accepting them as they are, and at the same time, maintaining our own spiritual standards.
The biggest problem is a difference in enthusiasm because the two partners.
One must help the other get through the low points.
We should always start out thinking of the marriage as a lifetime commitment. Not that I will try this person, and if it doesn’t work out then I’ll try someone else.
It is helpful to have a mentor who is a senior grhastha.
Changing circumstances or changing partners will not help. We have to change ourselves.
Sharing deeply in a devotional way can keep a relationship together. Other differences and problems will seem minor.
We must keep a sense of service to our partner. Because our family members are Vaishnavas, we must not be too familiar. Avoid offending them. Look for opportunities to serve them.
Be discriminating in the beginning before making a commitment, and when you do make a commitment stick with it.
I never recommend that a devotee marry a nondevotee.
There is a continuum between lust and love for God.
---
tasmad ekena manasa
bhagavan satvatam patih
srotavyah kirtitavyas ca
dhyeyah pujyas ca nityada
Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.14)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 10
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2009, part two)
Paris, New Mayapur, Orleans
(Sent from Amsterdam, Holland, on 6/7/09)
Highlights
Insights from Lokanatha Swami
Harinamas in France
Where I Am and What I Am Doing
I met Param Gati Swami in Gainesville in February, and told him I spent a week last year in Paris doing metroyoga, congregational chanting of the holy name on the Paris metros. As GBC for France, He encouraged me to come for two weeks this year, and so I did.
Amidst my journey there from Zurich, I played accordion and chanted on the train station platform in Mulhouse, France. I wondered what the customs officers, who had let me into the country, were thinking as they walked passed me, but they did not protest. I did harinama in Paris for a week. Then Gadadhara Priya Prabhu, our Paris harinama leader, became Lokanath Swami’s driver to New Mayapur, where Maharaja was going to work on a book on padayatra, so our party also went there for several days, adding three new cities to the list of places I have done harinama. While in New Mayapur Lokanath Swami gave a great class on cow protection and narrated a slideshow on the Aravade temple opening.
I described the metroyoga program in this journal last year (click here for the description, which appears near the bottom of the page). This year it changed a little in that Gadadhara Priya Prabhu speaks when Chandrashekhara Acarya Prabhu is traveling and his style is a little different. One thing he does is asks the people if they believe in reincarnation. Most say “No.” or “I don't know.” but some say “Yes.” Then Gadadhara Priya continues, saying that hearing the chanting is beneficial in any case.
Last year a Paris TV news station did a story on the program. (If you don't speak French, it is helpful to watch the video below with a French interpreter.)
This year, the first day I went on metroyoga, two masters degree students filmed our Paris harinama party for their final project.
In Paris, especially at the Eiffel tower, where the devotees chant on Saturday night, but also elsewhere, people enjoyed interacting with the devotees on harinama.
A couple of young ladies, one decorated like a clown, as well as a couple little black girls with a lot of energy, danced with our party underneath the Eiffel Tower. The little girls must have danced for at least half an hour.
At the Bastille, a couple musicians joined our party for ten or fifteen minutes. One played his own guitar, and the other, with his guitar strapped to his back, played the mrdanga in time.
After visiting New Mayapur, we stopped midway to Paris at Orleans, home of the famed Joan of Arc (depicted in the statue above), where we did harinama for two and a half hours. There I met a man from Kolkata, who told me his relatives play mrdanga and do kirtana, when I advised him “Pratidin Krishna kirtan korun!" [Every day chant Krishna kirtana!] I invited him to the Paris Ratha-yatra and he said he would come. One of the devotees in our party distributed 40 euros of books during the harinama. Gadadhara Priya realized from the experience that he should always break up his monthly trips between Paris and New Mayapur with a harinama in the middle and thus not let a day go by without the public chanting of the holy name!
Lokanath Swami:
You have so many flowers here, you should do puspa-abhiseka [bathing of the Deity with flowers].
Krishna’s beauty [as the Deity] is increasing every day. Our beauty is not increasing every day, at least as far as the body is concerned, but our beauty as souls does not diminish.
As man has a form like the Lord similarly the cows of this material world have a form like that of the surabhi cows of the spiritual world.
Cow protection is part of the peace formula.
Lokanath Swami very much appreciated the bulls and bullock cart that came to greet him when he arrived in New Mayapur.
Raja (the king) takes care of his praja (citizens) like they are his children as Lord Rama demonstrated. It is not that the cows should not be protected because they have no passport. Prabhupada said the government should prohibit the cutting of trees unless the paper was used for spiritual publications.
It was brought to the attention of the Indian parliament the blades on the devices for slaughtering animals caused them unnecessary suffering. No one thought of proposing the closing of the slaughterhouses, instead they decided to import more modern equipment from the West.
Now the Middle East supplies petrol to India in exchange for Indian meat. It is hard to imagine that India has become so degraded. Even in Indian media you hear that milk is bad for your heart and wine is good for it.
One famous personality was going to speak on American TV in favor of vegetarianism, but the meat industry was powerful enough to keep him from speaking, worried that their sales would go down.
In Prague, there was an ecology fair where chemical fertilizer was condemned for destroying the natural fertility of the earth. Cow dung has been used for thousands of years but no negative side effects have been reported.
A global survey concluded that America is the most unhealthy country. This is no surprise to me. From bhoga [sense enjoyment] comes roga [disease], and America is famous for teaching the world how to enjoy.
If you deal with the cow and bulls who have feelings, it is good for you. By dealing with machines you become machinelike, and your heart becomes like steel.
Factories cannot solve our basic needs. We cannot eat deep-fried nuts and bolts or rubber tube salad.
If use bullock carts, there will be no accidents. Beyond that, the bulls know well the way home, so the driver can sleep on the cart and wake up when he arrives.
The economic problems existing now are because we have more of an industrial economy and did not exist when there was an agrarian economy.
When the cow stops giving milk, she is not useless. Cow urine is always curative for many diseases. Cow dung is always good for fertilizer.
The cow is so dear to Krishna. It’s not that He hired someone to take care of the cows, He did it Himself. Not that just spoke about cows in the microphone. Less speaking, more service. Krishna cared more for the cows than Himself. His mother wanted to give Krishna shoes, but He would not accept him unless the cows all had shoes too. The same was true with an umbrella. Krishna had names for all his cows, and He counted them. Two of the eight daily pastimes periods, Krishna focused on caring for the cows.
One devotee lady said she read of an island off of Africa where there is a country where the cows and bulls are protected. The people eat vegetables and fish. One who kills cows there can even get the death penalty.
The vegetation is like the clothing of Mother Earth, and the demoniac, who are attempting to disrobe her by their deforestration programs, will be subject to their own destruction. Forests benefit by providing oxygen and preventing both drought and flooding.
Lokanath Swami picnic at Govardhan Hill replica:
Govardhan Hill was sixteen miles (two yojanas) high during Krishna’s time but is slowing sinking according to a curse. It is expected to completely flatten in 10,000 years.
Lokanath Swami, Slideshow on the Aravade temple opening
In the villages, people would name their animals. There is a group of devotees traveling around to Indian villages and doing name-giving ceremonies for villagers’ animals. The idea being to change the attitude they have toward the animals by making them more a part of the family.
Several countries have padayatras. It is a useful thing for the bulls to do.
Aravade, Lokanath Swami’s place of appearance and one of 500,000 villages in India, has a population 4,000, but they hosted 100,000 for their temple opening, including 10,000 ISKCON devotees. They used to get 100 visitors on Sundays and now they have 4,000 at the new temple. The senior guests were offered turbans at the opening ceremony. The fireworks were so extensive they impressed the American and European devotees. They had a horse dancing on its hind legs. There was one devotee from Africa who balanced a chair on one leg on a stick he held in his mouth. Pune devotees did an expert one-and-a-half hour Ramayana. In addition to the Radha Gopala Deities, were Garuda, Jaya Vijaya, Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman, and Vitthala Rukmini. They had a rasa dance diorama with mirrors to show many Krishnas and gopis.
Lokanath Swami, 5/28, SB 1.17.12, New Mayapur
When the king sees even one citizen unhappy, he becomes unhappy.
By promising to follow the four rules we help the Lord establish the principles of religion. By not eating meat, we help establish mercy. Eating meat makes us very hard hearted and without higher sentiments. By not taking intoxication we help establish austerity. By not engaging in illicit sex, we establish purity. By not gambling, we help to establish truthfulness.
During Prabhupada’s time, one woman was upset wondering why her son was killed in Vietnam, but Prabhupada was not sympathetic. He observed that so many cows are mercilessly killed in America that it is only natural some Americans might be killed.
The pastime of Mrgari the hunter shows how the most merciless person can become the most merciful simply by chanting the glories of God.
When we perform austerity, by the mercy of the Lord, we attain an inner happiness, and this happiness is not contaminated by distress. This differs from the material happiness, which is mixed with inevitable distress. Better to enjoy less in this world in terms of material pleasure, for then you will experience less suffering.
“Daiva netrena” literally means the “by the eyes of the Supreme.”
Lust sits in the senses, mind, and intelligence. If the lust is just in the senses, it is not so bad as when the lust is in the mind, and when the lust is in the mind, it is not as bad as when the lust affects the intelligence, because then you are finished.
These principles of religion are for the whole world to follow. They are not just for “Hindus.” There is one group who is trying to convert followers from Hinduism to their own group, arguing that then they will not have to worry about the law of karma.
To encourage the devotees, he reminded them that at Kurukshetra on the winning side there were just the five brothers, while on the other side there were a hundred.
Devotee whose name I did not know:
Those who are not punished for killing on the spot will have to suffer greatly in the next life. We can understand this by hearing submissively from scripture.
When a human being gives in to lust, envy, etc. , he becomes worse than a beast, as Jagai and Madhai exemplify. But harinama we can purify people from their lower motives.
Prasadam has six benefits:
1) one is not in anxiety because he is not stealing from God, the source of all foodstuffs.
2) the devotee feels connected with God
3) the immediate karma of killing animals and future karma of meat industry on environment is avoided
4) prasadam frees one of previous karma
5) the devotees purify their consciousness from material effects
6) the devotees awaken love of God
Raja Dharma Prabhu:
One hospital worker shared her realization that life is just hanging on very thin string. Recently Anon, a 61-year old sitar player, who was part of the congregation, was seen by the devotees one evening, but then the next day died of a stroke. He was not so much attached to this world, and when he left his body, his son was reading Brahma-samhita to him has he looked at his home Deities.
Srila Prabhupada stresses that people do not take spiritual life seriously until they realize the life is actually full of miseries.
Without being detached, you cannot you give proper guidance. Therefore, the brahmanas were meant to be detached.
Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara Acarya were considered kanistha adhikaris or on the neophyte stage because they could not defeat the blaspheme of the Mayavadi sannyasis against Lord Caitanya.
We are grabbing toys that give us a little temporary satisfaction but when the body is diseased we come to understand that these little adjustments will not satisfy us.
Krishna, love of Krishna, and service to Krishna is real wealth.
Some say the story that Narada told Valmiki to say to “Mara” because he couldn’t say “Rama” is erroneous because “Mara” is a Bengali word not a Sanskrit one and that perhaps a Bengali translator concocted it.
Nrsimhananda IDS Prabhu:
In history, those who have been famous for centuries, all have some connection with religion.
Krishna out of kindness curbs the pride of devotees who are proud of becoming famous by putting them in a condition where they are treated as less than ordinary people.
To be enthusiastic in the material world, we have to run toward some goal. Two classes of people exist. The materialistic class, in modern times, exalt sex life as the highest enjoyment, but it is not difficult to see dedicating one’s life to chase it results in frustration. The spiritualist instead runs toward God. To discover who I am and what is my relationship with God is a lofty goal that the animal has no access to. The spiritual path is exciting to follow even before the goal is reached, just as we are excited to go on vacation, even before we get to our destination. All religions are based on scriptures which teach us how to behave properly, so we can become free from the limitations of material existence, and return to the kingdom of God. The Kali-yuga tends to drag us down and thus we must be dedicated to protecting the four pillars of religion in our own life. When we are negligent in that, we lose enthusiasm, and wander on the mental platform. It is easy to find oneself meditating on money instead of meditating on Krishna. We think we need all these different things to be Krishna conscious which are not actually necessary.
In reality we have nothing we really possess. All we have to offer Krishna is our feelings. Without meditating on Krishna, we cannot offer our feelings to Krishna. We cannot give our attention fully to two things at once. For example, if your mouth is full of food, you cannot chant Hare Krishna. Krishna can concentrate on everyone at once, but we cannot.
When we chant japa, we are not in the center. It a personal offering to one person, Krishna. Imagine you have a friend who is sick and you go to him and perform service for him for two hours a day, just think how that will enhance your relationship with them! It is like that with Krishna, when we concentrate attentively on japa.
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 9a
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2009, part one, section a)
Antwerp, Munich, Zurich, Bern, and Langenthal
(Sent from Antwerp, Belgium, on 6/1/09)
Highlights
Spiritual Encounters
Harinamas in Munich and Switzerland
Personal Reflection
Insights from Sacinandana Swami, Kadamba Kanana Swami, and Navina Nirada Prabhu
Where I Am and What I Am Doing
After Queen’s Day, we did harinama with five devotees headed by Yadunandana Swami in a square in Antwerp, Belgium, on two consecutive days. Then I returned to Amsterdam, where Dhananjaya Prabhu engaged me in giving the Sunday lecture on the “lamp in a windless place” verse in Bhagavad-gita to their packed little temple. Earlier I went out on harinama by myself on that gray day with sporadic rain. Eager to attend a public sankirtana program with Sacinandana Swami in Munich and the Nrsimha festival at Simachalam, I spent an hour finding a flight for just 55 euros from Brussels on Brussels Airlines for the following day. After a great five-hour harinama in Munich, we went to Simhachalam for the Nrsimha festival which I describe in a separate issue. Kadambda Kanana Swami suggested I go to Zurich, and I got a ride there with devotees from the festival. I did harinamas there and in Bern and Langenthal while on my first trip to Switzerland as a devotee, which turned out to be a very pleasant experience because of the friendliness of the devotees.
Spiritual Encounters
I talked to one photography student who asked permission to photograph our party in Antwerp, Belgium, and proceed to take many pictures. When I heard his assignment was to take pictures that give evidence of devotion, I smiled thinking how nicely Krishna arranged for him to stumble across the harinama party that day. He was excited as his other pictures were of the local Catholics, and he was glad to include other traditions as well.
I met three families from Nepal who had moved to Antwerp, one at the temple and one on each harinama. So many encounters with people from a single country was a surprise for me.
I also talked to a local Belgian who has been attending different religious services, including Hare Krishna ones, for years. The man likes Krishna consciousness because the programs include a spiritual service, socializing, and good food, while others often leave one with unfulfilled needs. As we talked, he mentioned that each Belgian province maintains one psychiatrist specifically assigned to counsel priests whose minds are troubling them, often with feelings of loneliness. Later I mentioned that to Lokanath Swami who used it in Srimad-Bhagavatam class as an example of the degradation of the age. Formerly, when the varnasrama social system was functioning, the religious leaders would give counsel to the governmental leaders, but now the government is making arrangements to counsel the religious leaders because of their lack of realization.
Harinama in Munich
Sacinandana Swami chants for Four Hours in Munich
The devotees set up a stage and a couple booths at Karlsplatz, a fairly crowded downtown square.
During most of the program, at least thirty and sometimes as many as seventy people stood, watching with curiosity, about half of them taking invitations. Some of the people bought books, danced with us, and took some Ekadasi prasadam. There was also face painting and hand painting. When the devotees dance, Sacinandana Swami observed, the people in general are more inclined to stay.
Between songs Sacinandana Swami would speak, and during the lecture the crowd would even increase. The weather was cold and windy, but despite that, many people participated. The devotees in Munich, headed by Doyal Gauranga Prabhu, have such programs every two weeks. Come sometime and add your enthusiasm.
[For more pictures of Sacinandana Swami in Munich, click here.]
Harinama in Switzerland
Of the seven days, I spent Switzerland, I did harinama on six of them, twice going out alone. In Zurich, a harinama counts as a demonstration and requires special permission, but it is possible to sit down by the lake, a favorite place for people to take a stroll, and to chant bhajanas there. I went with temple president Krishna Prema Rupa Prabhu and two book distributors, Bhaktas Dirk and Martin. Krishna tested our determination by making it rain just as we began to set up. I suggested that we chant in the van for fifteen minutes and see how the weather looked. The storm came and left, and the so we got out and chanted for two hours. One man obviously liked us as he spent practically the whole time nearby. A middle-aged woman looked at us with a big smile for sometime and one of the sankirtana devotees in our party sold her a Science of Self-Realization. Then she sat on a nearby bench to continue to listen.
One little girl and her grandmother stopped for quite a while. The grandmother asked the girl if she wanted to go several times, but she just wanted to stay and watch and listen. She told a devotee that the whole day the girl had been wanting to return to her mother, but now she just wanted to stay and listen to the Krishna music. The grandmother gave the girl a 10 Swiss franc ($9) donation to give us.
Devotees based in Langenthal chant in Bern every Wednesday and have a public program at Good Day, a small storefront Indian import shop owned by a friend of the devotees. Bern is a center for alternative people in Switzerland. Bern’s regulation is that two musicians can play for half an hour at a single spot but then must move on. We had five persons for an hour at a time before we changed locations but it was not a problem. At one point a little boy and his mother watched for sometime, and Dirk, who is number three among the European book distributors, talked to the mother. Apparently she had decided the night before that she wanted to get into the philosophy of yoga and even made a prayer about it. Thus she was very happy to meet the devotees, and bought two books.
At the evening program, there were a couple young devotee ladies who love to sing. One of them, Radha Govinda Dasi, has a program every Friday there in Bern, and she invited me to give the lecture. I stayed overnight in Bern with the book distributors from Zurich and the prasadam distributors from Langenthal and did harinama by myself for three hours the next day. I passed out a few invitations and collected 15 Swiss francs, but I did not get a chance to talk with anyone. The devotee we stayed with invited me to move there and do harinama fulltime. At this point, I am not thinking of sticking in one place, and if I did, it would not be in a cold climate!
Radha Govinda’s attendees had some commitment to spiritual life, and to kirtana, which they all seemed rather absorbed in. One young man sang the Gaura arati song playing a guitar. She gets from three to fifteen people at her program each Friday.
We had a half hour harinama in Langenthal (Long Valley), about 40 km from Bern, where the devotees bought a sizeable building for a temple. Bhaktin Sobina, the other lady who likes to sing, did a good job playing my small accordion.
Sunday is lively in Zurich temple with two Sunday feast programs, one for the Tamil community, mostly refugees from Sri Lanka, and another for the Swiss, a japa class, an evening arati and two hours of bhajanas often by Madhava, a talented and popular Vaishnava youth with a friendly and encouraging disposition.
Personal Reflection
One recurrent theme in different lectures I heard recently is that we should find some way we can contribute to Srila Prabhupada’s movement. I proposed to Kadamba Kanana Swami that I try to serve by traveling and endeavoring to increase the faith of the devotees, especially in the holy name and in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings in general. Kadamba Kanana Swami liked the idea. He said that with the fall of many gurus in the 1980s, there was general lack of faith among the devotees, and that the current problems existing in many temples were symptoms of the lack of faith. He cited The Nectar of Devotion as differentiating between the three classes of devotees based on degrees of faith, and that advanced devotees were simply those with more faith. I reflected that recently I had given three classes on the holy name, with many excellent quotes by the previous acaryas, and that lectures like that can help to build faith. I also have encountered many examples from my travels showing the power of Krishna prasadam and the holy name. It is an exciting direction for me, and I attribute the breakthrough in finding a place in our society due to the association of Kadamba Kanana Swami, a very serious, practical, and compassionate devotee. He is like my guru for European preaching, and my activities here are going on under his direction. It is always useful to work under the direction of an authority. By Krishna’s grace, my encounter with him in Zurich is the third time in my three and a half week stay in Europe thus far. Last year our paths crossed five times during the six months I spent in Europe.
Insight from Lectures
Sacinananda Swami:
Caitanya Mahaprabhu blessed new people, “Krishna matir astu.” [May you become Krishna consciousness.] He blessed experienced devotees , “Krishna matir rahu.” [May you remain Krishna consciousness].
The heart of a Vaishnava is not just a pump but a resting place for Govinda.
Srila Prabhupada said that some of his followers had met Lord Caitanya when the Lord was personally present.
Prabhupada told a group of lawyers, “You have to understand that everything belongs to Krishna and nothing belongs any of us.” How do we understand that nothing belongs to us? Because we cannot take anything with us.
To illustrate this point, Sacinandana Swami told the story of the tailor and the millionaire. A dying tailor gives his son a needle and whispers something in his ear when he leaves this world. When it came time for the millionaire to also leave this world, the tailor’s son approached him, saying my father left this world just last year. He wanted you to take his favorite needle with you and give it to him. The millionaire said, “Yes, of course.” Then he began to reflect on how he could carry the needle with him to the other side of death. After sometime it suddenly occurred to him, “Nobody takes anything with him.” He asked a sadhu if there is anything that we can take with us to the next world. The sadhu said, “Your actions.” Thus with his few remaining days he performed many good deeds with his wealth and left this world a very satisfied man. The result of our actions is all we can take with us. So if we really want to become rich, we must perform many nice devotional activities now.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
Regarding the guru:
Should the spiritual master be just obeyed or be really satisfied in the heart? To catch his heart is something that is complete different from mere obedience. We have to do something more. And the same is true with Krishna. Krishna does not give the same with each one, but according to His mood. We have to individually satisfy the guru. It may not be enough to just to the standard duties. The guru may want more from us. The attitude of the gopis and sakhas are all based on service, dasyam. Kinkara means personal servant of guru or Krishna. This means you do what he likes. Generally you offer anything vegetarian to Krishna, but practically to please Krishna we offer him certain foods at certain times. The mentality to personally serve is higher mentality. If you serve the guru in this way, you will please Krishna.
Prabhupada’s guru told him to preach in English. Prabhupada understood he should actually go the West, and furthermore, he preached, through translators, in many, many other languages, all beyond the guru’s original order.
Srila Prabhupada said to a disciple, “I am waiting six hundred lives for you to become really sincere.”
Some disciples, erroneously do not keep their commitments to their guru, thinking after so many years and life changes, they are not applicable. If we let the guru’s instructions remain in our heart, we will be attracted back to the path of devotion. The guru is eternal, past, present, and future, and so it is not that we select a guru, but Krishna reveals our guru. The guru remembers his commitment to deliver his disciples, although serving Krishna intimately back in the spiritual world. He is still personally working in the life of his disciples. Prabhupada, through his murti and books, is still present.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
It is more difficult to fix the mind on the holy name than to pick a bar of soap that slips out of hand in the shower. Many people propose different techniques, but my realization is that the more we hear about Krishna, the more we will feel like chanting his holy name.
Krishna is very pleasant in his dealings, even in his chastisement of Kaliya, he spoke so politely to him.
If we hear of the qualities of Krishna, we become attracted to Him, and then we will want chant his name.
How long can you hear? Therefore have to become creative. Sometimes Lord Caitanya and associates would have spontaneous plays, enacting Krishna’s pastimes. Culture is necessary.
We make Krishna consciousness difficult for us by doing everything in the same way every day. Jagannatha has sixty festivals a year. That is more than once a week.
Krishna consciousness is a cultural conquest.
We talk about how all results of spiritual activities increase our spiritual bank account. This is based on Krishna’s statement nehabikrama-naso ’sti . . . In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” (Bg. 2.40) But I always wondered about the interest. Then I read in The Nectar of Devotion that Krishna said, “When I was away from Draupadi, she cried with the words, ‘He Govinda!’ This call for Me has put Me in her debt, and that indebtedness is gradually increasing in My heart!” Then I thought, “Eureka! That’s the interest!” Now the question is, how much is the interest? The answer is infinite. That is because Krishna is eternal. Therefore, Krishna consciousness is the best investment, and therefore I am eager to invest. How about you?
How long can you maintain if Krishna consciousness is unnatural? With this large temple facility we can do so many things, dramas, retreats, etc. Our problem is that the Deity is transcendental, Srila Prabhupada is transcendental, the temple is transcendental, but unfortunately I am not transcendental, so I cannot appreciate! We have to find a situation in which we feel satisfied.
Personal darshan with Kadamba Kanana Swami:
Fifty years old means time to invest in the next life. Not this one. That is what vanaprastha life is all about. That makes perfect sense. There is no sense in getting married at fifty. That means you are still investing in this life.
Kadamba Kanana Swami in Zurich:
Q: If I want to invite to someone to my home, is there a good way to introduce Krishna consciousness to them?
A: Giving them prasadam is a good thing. Coming to a temple is a big thing for some person, but perhaps they will go to a restaurant. Sometimes, if someone is interested in you, they will become interested in Krishna consciousness because you are. Pictures in your home may be attractive. That we cannot do this and that, but we are still happy, that generates inquiry.
Q: A sannyasi, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, stays at a householder for long enough to milk a cow. In ISKCON a sannyasi might rather read the Bhagavatam but some grhasthas are inviting him for pizza. What about this?
A: According to the sastra, the sannyasis have no such social obiligations, although due to affection for the householders, they may fulfill their desires in pursuit of developing spiritual relationships. It is important that we give sannyasis the time to really be sannyasis and not entangled in management or social obligations.
Navina Nirada Prabhu:
I have a friend who is distributes books and does congregational preaching in Italy. He had been corresponding for years with one industrialist who once took some books. After some time the businessman showed some interest in inquiring about spiritual life. The devotee asked what induced him to become more interested. The man said that all the letters the devotee wrote were signed “Your servant,” and nobody else signs letters like that.
---
etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham
adhyasitam purvatamair maharsibhih
aham tarisyami duranta-param
tamo mukundanghri-niseveayaiva
“I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krishna. This was approved by the previous acaryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.23.57)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 9b
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2009, part one, section b)
Nrsimha Caturdasi Festival, Simhachalam, Germany
(Sent from Paris, France, on 5/24/09)
The Nrsimha Caturdasi Festival at Simachalam
Prahlada-Nrsimha, Simhacalam, Germany.
Another high point was a truly beautiful abhiseka of the awesome Prahlada-Nrsimhadeva Deity there.
Outside they had an abhiseka of a small Nrisimha Deity for kids.
Another interesting event was the swinging of a small Deity of Nrsimhadeva, something I had never seen before.
Young devotee swings small Nrsimha Deity while pujari fans with a rare black camara.
There are hundreds of wonderful pictures of the festival shared by Gauranga Das at http://picasaweb.google.de/gaurangaji/NarasimhaCaturdasi2009 and http://picasaweb.google.de/gaurangaji/NarasimhaCaturdasi2009II .
Inspiration from Lectures
Bhakti Bhusana Swami dances in ecstasy.
Sacinananda Swami smiles blissfully as he plays the karatalas.
Sacinandana Swami:
“I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Nrsimhadeva who is the source of all power. Oh my Lord, who possesses nails and teeth, which are just like thunderbolts. Kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activities in this material world.”
Kadamba Kanana Swami swings Prithu Prabhu.
Mother Lakmimani Prabhu (right) helps
remove garland during abhiseka.
The evening kirtana was so lively and the devotees so enthusiastic, Kadamba Kanana Swami kept it going to 9:30 p.m., when the feast was finally served. High points of the feast were an excellent well-spiced curd sabji and sweet rice.
In Cologne, Kadamba Kanana Swami was asked, “How do I come to another level of my spiritual life?” He answered simply and profoundly, “You have to make a sacrifice for Krishna.” This can be a simple sacrifice. Even just focusing on hearing each word of a single Hare Krishna mantra, one can immediately experience a higher taste.
Q: How can we constantly talk about Krishna?
A: This state is not artificially produced but comes by our spiritual advancement. Still we can find devotees who like to hear about Krishna, and then talk with them about Krishna. Then after that, begin enlightening the people in general about Krishna. At the very least, you will be benefiting yourself. Try to bring the conversation to Krishna in a natural way. If you think of Krishna, it will not be artificial to talk about Him, but if you do not think of Krishna, then such talks will seem artificial.
After hearing this I shared a nice Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura quote on the value of the chanting the holy name with devotees who I thought would appreciate, and it was a very rewarding experience.
Sankirtana means both that the chanting is done in congregation and that it is complete. Complete means that we engage each one of our assets in the Lord’s service.
When you hear about Krishna, Krishna becomes bound to you, but only with a thin thread, when you meditate about Krishna, Krishna becomes bound to you by a rope, but if you engage in Krishna sankirtana, Krishna becomes bound to you with an iron chain which He does not break.” --Brhad-Bhagavatamrita.
Brhad-Bhagavatamrita also talks about lila-kirtana, but superior to that is nama-kirtana.
Through the glorification of Krishna we will naturally become personally interested in Krishna.
Longing for Krishna is very important. One analogy given is “The cataka bird always prays for the cloud, regardless of whether it showers rains or throws a thunderbolt.”
I can see that many of you have appreciated the love and affection of Lord Nrsimha at the festival this year. Please come again next year.
When Sacinandana Swami said that, it echoed my own feelings. I have been able to appreciate Nrsimhadeva and His rather ghastly destruction of Hiranyakasipu in a philosophical way for some time, but at this festival, I was more able to see Lord Nrsimha as the affectionate protector of Prahlada, and indeed, all devotees who chant His glories and bow down before Him. Thus for the first time really, I felt some glimmer of love for Lord Nrsimha, the affectionate protector of His devotees, and one of the Lord’s more extraordinary incarnations.
---
om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya tamo grasa grasa om svaha; abhayam abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.8)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 2
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2009, part two)
Gainesville, Tallahassee
(Uploaded from Langenthal, Switzerland, on 5/15/09)
Highlights:
Insight from Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, Sesa Prabhu, and More
Chanting at the Martin Luther King Day Parade
Aaron, the Christian Sannyasi
Chanting at Tallahassee's Lake Ella
Where I Am and What I Am Doing
For January through April, I promised Kalakantha Prabhu, the Gainesville
temple president, I would maintain the chanting program at University of Florida during the serving out of Krishna Lunch. I also promised Tamohara Prabhu, the GBC of Tallahassee, I would spend two weekends and one weekday there assisting with the outreach.
Chanting at the Martin Luther King Parade
Devotees from Alachua chanted at the Martin Luther King Day Parade.
People nearby our party clapped along with our music and mantra, . . . 
. . . including some smiling young Afro-American ladies from the Baptist
church.
Trey was inspired to bring many gallons of lemonade, which he distributed to participants and onlookers. We chanted at the end of the parade for at least half an hour.
Chanting at Tallahassee's Lake Ella
Tallahassee is blessed with many parks, including the one surrounding Lake Ella, which is very close to the center of the city. Even on a cloudy January day with temperatures in the 50s F [low teens C] there were many people strolling, exercising, walking their dogs, and pushing their children in strollers.
Daru Brahma Prabhu, Sivam, Sivam's daughter, Subhadra, and I chanted and passed out invitations, pamphets, and flyers. We choose to sit on the gravel near the sidewalk instead of the grass to interact with more people. Subhadra, who was only about seven years old, was very enthusiastic to make sure everyone who passed by got an invitation and a pamphlet on chanting Hare Krishna. Because she was a kid, very few of the people refused her, and I think she was more successful than I would have been.
Insight from Lectures
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami: [Click here to hear entire lecture.]
If you do everything properly according to dharma, what happens is to be
considered God's will. Not that you go down the street shooting people and
claiming, “If it wasn't their karma, I could not kill them.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that Draupadi was dragged by the hair into the men's gambling hall. Not that she was gambled away by Yudhisthira. Mahabharata, according to Madhvacarya, is largely corrupted, and this may be one of the corruptions.
Both male chauvinism and feminism are nasty states of being.
From Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu (SB 11.5.1-) [Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu has a class via conference call almost every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Contact Sraddha Devi Dasi at the Philadelphia temple if you want to know how to access it.]:
The demigods place many obstacles on the path of those who worship You to transcend the temporary abodes of the demigods and reach Your supreme abode. Those who offer the demigods their assigned shares in sacrificial performances encounter no such obstacles. But because You are the direct protector of Your devotee, he is able to step over the head of whatever obstacle the demigods place before him. (SB 11.4.10)
Vasista cursed Nimi to die because he started a sacrifice without him because he was delayed, and so Nimi countercursed Vasista to die. They both died. People wanted to resurrect Nimi from his preserved dead body, but the King didn't want a disgusting material body. Thus he got a benediction of a spiritual body to worship the Lord which could be manifest or nonmanifest to others, according to his will.
Varnasrama is especially meant for those not spontaneously attracted to the devotional service of the Lord.
According to Sridhara Svami, the brahmanas are born of the mode of goodness, the ksatriyas of a combination of goodness and passion, the vaisyas of a combination of passion and ignorance and the sudras of the mode of ignorance (SB 11.5.2, purport). Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu likes this as it is more symmetrical than the other description where the ksatriyas are simply in passion.
There are graduations within the varna divisions. For example, among ksatriyas, Yudhisthira is so detached, he is practically a brahmana, while Bhima is completely different.
Imaginary as far as the virat-rupa is concerned does not mean “made up” because the virat is described in the sastra, but rather it means to think the virat-rupa is more substantial than the Lord's spiritual form
The kala-rupa (form of time) aspect of the virat-rupa (universal form) is the side of God nobody likes-Krishna as time, the destroyer of all.
If you are following varnasrama, at least you do not do any sin.
A demon is one who disregards the scripture. This is clear from
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 16, especially verses 18 and 23.
Failure to worship a respectable person is considered disrespectful. It is not that you respect your diksa (initiating) guru, and ignore everyone else. Often offenders start on a lower level and work their way up to disrespecting their guru.
The virat-rupa has metaphorical elements in it, like “vegetation is the hairs on His body,” but is not completely metaphorical. The universe is like an organism in that it is unified, with parts working together, and has a single consciousness pervading it. Brahma is technically the soul of the universe, and Garbodhakasayi Vishnu is its Supersoul.
Arjuna is given divine vision to see the vast expanse of time and space
brought into one time and one space.
As we can move our hand by our own will, because it is part of our body, the Lord can move things in the universe simply by willing, and in that sense, it can be said that the universe is His body. In reality, He is more expert at moving His body, than we are moving our body.
Q: Why do the demigods put obstacles in the path of devotees?
A: Sometimes they are upset they are no longer getting worshiped, like Indra in Vrindavan. It is like in an organization, if the boss favors you, your other superiors become envious of you and may make trouble for you. Not only do we have to overcome the temptations of impiety, but we have to overcome the temptations of piety given by the demigods.
Q: Nowadays people cannot at all relate to the idea of worship of one's
spiritual teacher. What to do?
A: If you look at the scriptural descriptions of the guru-disciple relationship, you can see it is the ideal situation to transmit knowledge. When we do have good teachers that we really benefit from, we feel like worshiping them.
I have to keep learning about the problem of envy in human affairs. I forget about it, and then I am reminded again.
Through Krishna consciousness we can give people an experience of a love
that dissolves the divisions between people.
We seek rasas (relationships) in this world because we have an eternal rasa with Krishna.
Krishna, who is the controller, who agitates everything, and who descends into this world, agrees to be controlled by His devotees' love. We love God by surrendering to Him, and He loves us by allowing us to control Him.
In this world, however, if people are attracted to us, we have a tendency to exploit them.
“Master our passions instead of letting our passions master us.” -Kalakantha Prabhu
“In any group I was with, I would look to see if there were people
from a variety of backgrounds. If there were, I thought, 'There must be
something to it.' I found that there in the society of Krishna devotees. -Ali Krishna Devi Dasi
“By looking at people you can tell who is having illicit sex and who is isn't. The ones who are celibate have a certain glow. I got this test from Bhakti Vikas Swami.” -Stavapriya Das
Conversations with Others About
Spirituality
I met Aaron, an old man with graying hair but youthful energy, dressed in robes, coming to Krishna lunch. He travels in the north in the summer and the south in the winter, reminding people about God. “God's will has always been simple,” he says. “Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He says he is a follower of Christ, but not “the Christ of the world.” He said he loved taking prasadam with Hare Krishna devotees in Eugene, Oregon, and helped out with the dishes afterwards.
Here he assisted Trey with the dishes in the Gainesville Krishna House.
Aaron's lifestyle reminds me that end of life is meant for sannyasa, leaving
home, traveling the world, and reminding others of the teachings of God.
I asked Frank, a medical student with a serious interest in Krishna
consciousness, what he thought of a recent conversation about the pros and cons of wearing devotional clothes? He replied, “I am attracted by peoplewearing what they feel comfortable in.”
nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharma
sarva-mantra-sāra nāma, ei śāstra-marma
“In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.” (Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 7.74)
Where I Am and What I Am Doing
For three months I had practically no time to write this journal or answer questions for Krishna.com. What did I do? I lived in at the Gainesville Krishna House, where a number of students, both American and Indian, are beginning to take the practice of Krishna consciousness very seriously, several studying Prabhupada's books together both morning and evening. We had evening programs that always went late three nights a week, a two-hour harinama Wednesday at the Farmer's Market and a harinama in the downtown Friday night where the bars and restaurants are. I thought of eliminating the late night harinama, but three people had come to visit the temple as a result and had good experiences, some coming back, so I was reluctant to stop it. Two weekends and one weekday a month I went to Tallahassee to assist in the outreach there, mostly by doing harinama and giving lectures. I couldn't write with my laptop enroute as it was so flaky I was unwilling to invest in a new battery for it. When I didn't spend the weekend in Tallahassee, I spent hours in Alachua with a fellow assistant of Sadaputa Prabhu's, Sthita-dhi Muni, in looking through Sadaputa's materials to preserve and ultimately share them. We came across a script for a video called "The End of Physics" and a partial manuscript for a book called The Roots of Genius. It was spooky to see my handwriting on some of the documents in the files. There were whole articles I had typeset for him, and then forgotten about. It seemed so long ago, like another life. Reviewing the material, I was reminded of his genius, his talent, and his hard work. I have no regrets about that service, other than I really did not take advantage enough of his association. Both Drutakarma and Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhus became scholars as a result of his association, and I remained but a proofreader of publications. The good thing is that it doesn't matter what you do for Krishna, as long as you work for Him. That is my only solace.
Now by the grace of Brahmatirtha Prabhu and Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, I have a computer so I can write while traveling. I shall try to share the high points of the last three months, going into detail on other journal entries.
The happiest thing for me is to see young people taking the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy name more and more seriously, especially with a little or no encouragement. One time Bhakta Tim had explained how he had too much schoolwork to come on harinama. He walked with us to the car, to wish us well as we were leaving. As the door between us closed, I smiled, and said, "See you there!" Amazingly enough, despite his previous protestations of being too busy, he came out and had a great time.
Once I spent half an hour trying to encourage Bhaktin Jena to go chant with us at the Tallahassee Rainbow Gathering. At least a couple times during the conversation, she even said she would not go. As it turned out, she did finally go, bringing her guitar and ukulele to play along. She had a great time and was glad she came. I see in these examples the power of the holy name to attract people out of their humdrum material life and give them a higher taste. Now that many of the old-timers are leaving their bodies for new ones, it is heartening to see the young people are becoming more and more attracted, and so the movement will go on. Our Gainesville evening programs have such lively kirtanas that once when the lecture went an hour and twenty minutes, the lecturer tried to forgo the kirtana and go straight to prasadam, but the congregation refused to agree. The lecturer offered a ten minute kirtana, but the devotees kept going twenty minutes or more. Once in Tallahassee I had a party of five to chant at the local downtown park, Lake Ella. All were uninitiated devotees who had a taste to chant. During spring break, Tim and Kelly each drove me two hours to Jacksonville to chant at the campus there, and on the weekend they and some college-aged friends went to the beach in St. Augustine and chanted bhajans much of the time. This all reminds me that the interest in the Hare Krishna mantra among the youth is not just a 1960s phenomenon but the spiritual inclination of the soul shining through his/her coverings of ignorant darkness and thus we should give people all facility to gain such attraction.
Enroute to Europe
Enroute to Europe, while waiting in Jacksonville airport for Jet Blue's afternoon flight, having missed the morning one at an expense of $40, I had the good fortune of meeting Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami who was just arriving, and who in his usual jovial mood firmly embraced me with affection. He told me about his latest innovative outreach strategy—to enthuse householder devotees to grow vegetables and fruits for Krishna. It gives them something practical to do that gives a good result, and can inspire them further in Vedic culture and Krishna consciousness. Every little bit of land can be utilized for such gardening, even the roof of buildings. You can grow potatoes in the rings of old tires, stacked one above the other, and at the end of the growing season harvest the potatoes simply by removing the tires.
The Jet Blue flight to JFK was an hour late, and I arrived at the gate designated for my Delta London flight twenty minutes after it was scheduled to depart. I was the last person to board, and I apologized but the stewardesses said not to worry.
London
When I arrived in London, my customs officer turned out to be a Brahmin who got a masters degree in Sanskrit from Punjab University. I told him I was here to give a few lectures on Bhagavad-gita, and then go on to Amsterdam. He asked if I knew Sanskrit. I said I knew a few words and quoted Bhagavad-gita 4.9. He chants the Hanuman Chalisa and other prayers at 3:30 a.m. every morning. I suggested that he become a preacher as he was a Brahmin but he did not reply. He was aware of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and when I said I would speak on Gadadhara Pandit, he said that he was not a mortal. I replied affirmatively saying, "All the principle associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were liberated souls." I invited him to come to our temple at 10 Soho Street. He said he rarely comes but that his wife comes there almost every day. Because of my inviting him, he said he might come. It is nice to connect with people who have a connection with Krishna.
Harinama in London was great as usual. The day I arrived we had a party of nine devotees and Krishna blessed us with a rare sunny afternoon. One girl joined us midday, dancing as enthusiastically as the other devotees for at least half the harinama. Turns out she had seen the devotees in her homeland of Poland and she does Indian dance professionally so for her to join us and participate was natural.
On Saturday, I joined the "weekend warrior" party who went to Kensington and set up with sit down kirtana, prasadam, and book distribution. They were mostly new devotees, so I got lots of opportunity to play my harmonium tunes. After that, we stopped half an hour from the temple on the way home, and chanted harinama the rest of the way. Later to top of the day, we had the famous Saturday night downtown harinama. Many people danced with us. I distributed invitations to those who smiled, danced, or took pictures of our party. Once I gave a flyer to three teenaged girls who were approaching our party with great curiosity. I told them, "Don't repress your natural urge to dance." Two of them gave their belongings to the third for safekeeping and joined the female kirtana dancers with great delight. Another time I encouraged a couple in their thirties who were dancing with each other, amidst the kirtana dancers. I praised their dancing, and they continued another ten minutes before remembering their planned evening engagement, and leaving with invitation in hand. My realization is that a few positive words can really increase a person's participation in devotional service.
In London I was reminded of the smallness of our Hare Krishna world when, one day, four different devotees came up to me and reminded me of my previous connection with them—one girl from Finland, one boy from Slovakia, and two boys who visited Alachua.
On the flight from London to Amsterdam, I happened to sit with an Indian student who is just becoming interested in Hare Krishna. He had read Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers and was beginning Science of Self-Realization. He was going to Amsterdam to visit some friend who had invited him for Queen's Day. I gave him a copy of my BTG with the article on last year's devotee participation in the event, and he was grateful. I hoped to see him there, but I think his association with friends that were not devotionally inclined kept him from meeting up with the devotees during his brief visit to Amsterdam.
Kadambda Kanana Swami's Vyasa Puja was a nice event. He gave a couple of lectures that day that I attended. Here are some of his realizations:
The secret of Krishna consciousness is to remain always inspired. We must fix our mind on Krishna, not just for some time, but at every moment. We must create a culture where this constant remembrance of Krishna goes on.
It is said a pure devotee of Lord Caitanya can deliver the universe. In Srila Prabhupada, we can see how it is possible. We are here by the devotees' mercy.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura said that the kirtanas of Lord Caitanya and His associates are still going on at Srivasa Angam and some can hear while others cannot. Those who cannot can hear them through the scripture, and then there is no different between the two groups.
This movement is compared to waves. Different groups appear from time to time and play key roles.
Always make sure our roots are strong. See what Srila Prabhupada valued and make sure we are doing that.
This movement is flooding the entire world, and yet it is simply moving from one person to another.
Q: How can I not be proud of what you [as my guru] have been able to do through me?
A: Just look at how much more devotees like Vishnujana Swami and Jayananda Prabhu were able to do. And look at Srila Prabhupada himself.
The spiritual master is always present, even if he doesn't always answer our emails.
It makes me feel like a failure as a guru that a disciple wound up in jail. As far as disciples disobeying the order of the guru is concerned, I simply ask that they are honest with me. In this way, things will not get completely out of hand.
Suhotra Swami would practically never argue on the basis of his being a GBC or temple president. He would argue philosophically. Suhotra Swami could not tolerate compromise. He was a sadhu, a man of truth.
To think we are mercy cases is actually good, especially if we aspire to repay the guru, but still, the chanting of the daily sixteen rounds and following the four principles is good enough.
I want you to utilize your nature and capacity in Krishna's service. I look for maturity, sadhana [spiritual practice], and doing something for the mission. If you need ideas, I have them.
As a youth, I vowed never to follow any authority, other than my own. I was depressed, and encountering Srila Prabhupada, I agreed to surrender to him, but to surrender to the different leaders of his movement, was another thing. But I was able to because I was not willing to let temporary, insignificant things, get in the way of attaining Srila Prabhupada's mercy.
Everything is parampara [the line of spiritual predecessors]. That is the essence. I am simply trying to follow the parampara.
Lord Caitanya promised his followers who chanted 64 rounds they would attain Krishna. Srila Prabhupada reduced it to 16 rounds and four rules. Can those who recommend four rounds really promise their followers that they will go back to Godhead?
Spiritual life is more than choosing a service or accepting one chosen by the spiritual master. Our natural inclinations will become obvious in the course of time. Anyone who is a natural book distributor should try to do it as long as possible without being disturbed by asrama or other external considerations.
I will tolerate all kicks from any cow that gives milk.
Do something special in acara [behavior] and pracara [enlightening others] and get some special mercy.
Notes on Vyasa Puja offerings:
Mayapur Chandrodaya Prabhu mentioned that although he played the role of his guru's personal servant and that others were also eager to serve him, his guru always made sure there were proper accommodations for his personal servant.
One lady, I didn't know, mentioned how hearing the realizations of the other disciples brings us closer to the guru.
The feast was so extensive that if you took all you felt like, your body could not handle it, so it was a test of my self-control. There were several desserts including the treasured gulabjamons.
Queen's Day
Queen's Day was bigger both in terms of participation by the general populace and by the devotees. Apparently there was an attack on the royal family which prompted the government to cancel all the festivities in cities other than Amsterdam, so everyone went to Amsterdam to celebrate. Kadamba Kanana Swami had his Vyasa Puja festival at Radhadesh, just under four hours away, so he would get more people to participate, and the strategy worked. There must have been at least a hundred and fifty devotees taking part, at least seventy more than last year. Maharaja thanked me for the BTG [March/April 2009] article on last year's event, saying that now half the devotees in South Africa want to come to Amsterdam for Queen's Day!
Our chanting party lasted seven and a half hours, two hours sitting at our booth, and the rest during two harinamas through the streets, before and after our lunch and rest break. In the beginning at least twenty people joined in dancing with us, becoming part of a 'snake' of dancers winding through the crowd, and they all appeared very happy to take part. [Click here for video.] While at our booth, I would dance at the side of the entrance, offering invitations to those who took pictures, smiled, or stopped to look. [Click here for video.] One pair of college girls watched for a while, and taking an invitation, one began chanting the mantra along with us. I informed her about the prasadam, the books, and the temple nearest her. She was interested in other cultures and had a special interest in India. For more videos on the Hare Krishna participation in Queen's Day 2009, click here.
naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hridayesu va
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah
tatra tisthami narada
"Lord Krishna told Narada, 'I am not situated in the spiritual world Vaikuntha, nor am I in the hearts of the yogis, but you will find me, O Narada, wherever My devotees are chanting my glories.'" --Padma Purana
Next on to Antwerp, Munich, the German Nrsimha farm (Simhacalam), and more.
